Ministry Beliefs & Philosophy

Statement of Belief

The Nicene Creed

WE BELIEVE in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father.
Through him all things were made.

For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven:
by the power of the Holy Spirit
he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary,
and was made man.

For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.

He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified.
He has spoken through the Prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come.

Amen.

The Apostles’ Creed

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and earth;
and in Jesus Christ, His only Son Our Lord,
Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended into Hell; the third day He rose again from the dead;
He ascended into Heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God, the Father almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and life everlasting.
Amen.

Ministry Philosophy

Our goal as a ministry is to treat our Lulu family as protectively as we would our own children.

Would I put my own family’s financial needs out on display for the world to see?

No. I would pray about them and trust the Lord to meet them.

Would I rejoice publicly over how the Lord provides for my family?

Yes. Without a doubt.

Would I celebrate my children’s successes publicly?

Yes, with discretion and taste and without bragging.

Would I invite strangers to come to my house and hang out with my children, even if I was nearby, just because these strangers profess a love for Jesus?

No. Never.

Would I invite people who are giving to us financially to come and meet my family?

Yes, if I’d known them long enough to have a strong sense of their character and heart, but I still wouldn’t leave them alone with my children.

Would I send a form letter to someone who discontinued financial support of my family?

No. Form letters are impersonal and unloving. I would trust the motives and respect the private reasons a donor discontinued support.

Would I send a personal letter, instead, thanking them for their generosity, praying blessing on their life, and asking if they’d like to continue receiving updates about my family?

Yes. This shows we care more about the person than about their money.

Would I put personal financial information about our bills and needs on a website for all to see?

Never.

Would I invite complete strangers to join my family through a website?

Never.

Would I invite complete strangers to pray for us?

Yes.

Would I tell people about an initiative my family was making to help others, and invite them to share with others? (ie. mama kits, educating teen mamas, etc. through the Lulu Shop profits)

Yes. Absolutely.

Would I invite complete strangers to write to my children or send gifts to them?

No. My children are vulnerable and impressionable, and part of my job is to protect their minds, hearts, and bodies from potentially harmful influences.

Would I declare to the world through social media or my website the mistakes my children have made or their weaknesses/failures?

No. Never.

Would I invite others to tell the world about our family and offer incentives for them to do so?

No. It would feel like I was selling my children.

Faithraising Mission

FAITH-RAISING

We also seek to live by these 12 principles of faith-raising, vs. fund-raising:

We commit to communicating our needs first and foremost to our Heavenly Father, and to doing this on a daily basis until the need is met.

We do not ask for money unless the Lord has specifically told us to (receiving confirmation from other intercessors first, including the Lulu founder); when we do ask for funding, we ask with gentleness and respect.

We keep a record of every need we have and every provision the Lord makes in accordance with said needs.

We freely share about the Lord’s plans in regards to Lulu, as He leads, and invite others to join us, fully dependent on the Spirit to move in their hearts.

We commit to prayerfully walking through doors the Lord opens for us, and refuse to force those doors open in our own strength. Every idea and initiative must be Spirit-led.

We bring glory to God by publicly declaring all the ways He provides for us.

We work hard using our “tent-making skills” (personal means of acquiring income) so we are not a burden on anyone, and to avoid any chance of being accused of taking money for ourselves, or for doing this work for any reason other than love.

We commit to being transparent in sharing about Lulu, but do not “force” meetings, receive loans, or go into debt; we believe the Lord will place the burden on people’s hearts in His timing and for His glory.

We do not make excuses for God or pay for Lulu expenses out of our own pockets (motivated by fear, vs. generosity) when God has told us that He wants to provide for that expense through someone else. Neither do we store up for the future out of fear (versus saving up for a particular need), trusting the Lord will supply our daily bread.

We are creative in getting word out about Lulu without ever being conniving or manipulative. We do not use guilt or pity to gather partners or resources, and refuse to use pictures, videos, or stories of the women and children we are serving to emotionally manipulate potential partners. Instead we share what God is doing in a way that brings glory to God and honors those we are serving as precious mothers and daughters created in the image of God.

We do not use money intended specifically for one purpose for another.

We do not conduct ourselves out of fear, but out of the perfect love of the Father from whom every good gift comes.

International Trip Policy

INTERNATIONAL TRIP POLICY

Any trips we take on behalf of Lulu are paid for using our own resources, so that as much of Lulu’s funding as possible can go towards relieving the burdens of the poor.

We only visit once a year to pray with our national teams in the same room and observe first-hand the work God is doing amongst them.

We make it a policy to keep our trips restricted to Lulu board members and to partners who have a specific skill they can impart to our Lulu families while we are on the ground, to further develop Lulu’s sustainability goals.

For more questions about our international trip policy, please email emily@thelulutree.com.

Volunteer Policy

VOLUNTEER POLICY

(for our western volunteers only, including the founder/president)

In working for The Lulu Tree, I understand that radical generosity is about giving of my time, my prayers, and my resources on behalf of the poor. Based on Lulu’s conviction to serve others out of radical generosity, I will freely share the gifts God has given me relying fully on the free gift of grace that Jesus gave us.

Considering this:

I understand that any trips I take on behalf of Lulu will be paid for using my own resources, so that as much of Lulu’s funding as possible can go towards relieving the burdens of the poor.

I refuse to accept any payment for the work I do for Lulu, as I want my actions to be motivated purely by love.

If for any reason I am unable to continue to work for Lulu based on my need to get a paying job, this will be completely understood and received with grace.

The hours, resources, and prayers I contribute to Lulu are based solely on what the Lord has told me to give, and this will be received gratefully and graciously by others.

I will abide, to the best of my abilities, at peace with everyone.

I will lean on the rest of the western Lulu family for personal gifts of prayer and resources in times of need, similar to the Church of Acts in Acts 4:32.

I will count it a privilege to serve on behalf of the poor and will do my utmost not to be a burden to them but rather, to lay down my life for them.

I will strive for singleness of heart and action in identifying with the poor and with the mission God has given The Lulu Tree.

If I am unable to support an aspect of The Lulu Tree I will express myself in private with humility and respect to the Lulu Tree founder, and then, if I still am unable to support the road The Lulu Tree is taking, I will remove myself quietly and with decorum.